2008 Woodie Awards
MIH hosts #1 Mercyhurst in doubleheader
Brad Holland, Assistant Sports Editor
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Sports
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Tomorrow and Saturday, the top two teams in the Atlantic Hockey League will clash in a weekend series at the Milford Ice Pavilion. Four important league points are on the line, four points that will either keep the Pioneers in the hunt for first place, or put Mercyhurst almost out of reach.
The number one seeded Mercyhurst Lakers have sat atop the league since early in the season, but the Pioneers could go a long way in changing that with two wins on the weekend series.
The Set Up
"It's the biggest weekend of the year so far," Pioneer goaltender Jason Smith said. He and the Pioneers find themselves sitting in second place in the conference, with designs on first before the end of the season.
The Pioneers have been playing well lately, with three straight conference wins to their credit. The team followed a weekend sweep of Canisius two weeks ago with a solid, 4-2 defeat of rival Bentley at home last Saturday. They outscored these opponents by a combined score of 11-4.
The Lakers are also riding a conference winning streak. They have won their last four by a combined score of 24-9, sweeping both UCONN and AIC in convincing fashion.
In addition to the collision of two winning streaks, this series features the conference's top offensive unit versus the conference's second best defensive unit. Mercyhurst is scoring an average of just under five goals per game while Sacred Heart gives up only 2.39. The Pioneers are second to the Army Black Knights, who give up an average of 2.38 goals per game.
Mercyhurst has scored 30 more goals than any of its opponents. They like an open game, with lots of flow and scoring chances for both teams.
The Pioneers are known for their tight checking, hard-hitting type of play, and the Milford Ice Pavillion may be the smallest and most difficult arena for visiting teams in the league.
Something is going to have to give.
The Matchups
Offense: The Pioneers' first line of Pierre-Luc O'Brien, Alexandre Parent and Bear Trapp has combined for 31 goals and 81 points so far this year. They will be called upon to provide much of their team's attack in the upcoming games. If they are able to outscore the Mercyhurst first line of Dave Borelli, Ben Cottreau and Scott Champagne, who have combined for 36 goals and 90 points, the Pioneers will put themselves in good position to win the game.
The number one seeded Mercyhurst Lakers have sat atop the league since early in the season, but the Pioneers could go a long way in changing that with two wins on the weekend series.
The Set Up
"It's the biggest weekend of the year so far," Pioneer goaltender Jason Smith said. He and the Pioneers find themselves sitting in second place in the conference, with designs on first before the end of the season.
The Pioneers have been playing well lately, with three straight conference wins to their credit. The team followed a weekend sweep of Canisius two weeks ago with a solid, 4-2 defeat of rival Bentley at home last Saturday. They outscored these opponents by a combined score of 11-4.
The Lakers are also riding a conference winning streak. They have won their last four by a combined score of 24-9, sweeping both UCONN and AIC in convincing fashion.
In addition to the collision of two winning streaks, this series features the conference's top offensive unit versus the conference's second best defensive unit. Mercyhurst is scoring an average of just under five goals per game while Sacred Heart gives up only 2.39. The Pioneers are second to the Army Black Knights, who give up an average of 2.38 goals per game.
Mercyhurst has scored 30 more goals than any of its opponents. They like an open game, with lots of flow and scoring chances for both teams.
The Pioneers are known for their tight checking, hard-hitting type of play, and the Milford Ice Pavillion may be the smallest and most difficult arena for visiting teams in the league.
Something is going to have to give.
The Matchups
Offense: The Pioneers' first line of Pierre-Luc O'Brien, Alexandre Parent and Bear Trapp has combined for 31 goals and 81 points so far this year. They will be called upon to provide much of their team's attack in the upcoming games. If they are able to outscore the Mercyhurst first line of Dave Borelli, Ben Cottreau and Scott Champagne, who have combined for 36 goals and 90 points, the Pioneers will put themselves in good position to win the game.